Mary Marston Kew commissioned the Greenes to design a five-bedroom
English-style residence, garage, and landscaping in 1912. The
massing and materials of the house were similar to the James
Culbertson house built in 1902, but with a refined result more
analogous to the Mortimer Fleishhacker Sr., House in Woodside,
California. The lower level had carefully placed stones at the
base of the foundation that gradually gave way to a pebbledash
wall surface. The upper levels had half-timbering and shingle
infill. The house was elaborately appointed with an expensive
rolled-eave roof with a subtly sculptured surface meant to resemble
thatch. The shingles were individually shaped to give the roof
an irregular surface treatment. The Tudor style was carried
out with the small windowpanes, oak linen-fold paneled interiors,
and broad carved stone fireplaces. Construction lasted over
a year, from early 1913 to 1914.